Both the boys and girls basketball teams will host a playoff
game at Hollister’s Mattson Gym
HOLLISTER
Earning a berth in the Division I playoffs didn’t come as a shock to either the boys or girls basketball teams at San Benito High. Earning a home game was a pleasant surprise, though.
Both the Baler boys and the Lady Balers will open the Central Coast Section tournament at home this week, with the No. 12 Balers (13-11) hosting No. 13 Monta Vista (13-11) on Tuesday night at 7 p.m., and the No. 5 Lady Balers (20-4) hosting either No. 13 Salinas (10-14) or No. 12 Silver Creek (12-12) on Thursday night at 7 p.m.
“We got a home game out of it,” said boys head coach Tracy Carpenter, who was pleased with his team’s draw. “Playing at home doesn’t guarantee anything, but it eliminates the travel. You should be comfortable with where you’re playing at, and hopefully that gives you a slight advantage.”
Following Friday’s narrow 61-59 home loss to Salinas, in which the Balers nearly erased a 10-point deficit with 1:03 remaining in regulation, San Benito was figuring it’d be on the road to open the playoffs after finishing fifth in the Tri-County Athletic League at 5-7.
But San Benito’s strength of schedule, which included games against top teams like Bellarmine and Mission High of San Francisco, may have provided the Balers with the upper hand.
Furthermore, in a game against Fremont of Sunnyvale — the Thunderbirds were the only common opponent between San Benito and Monta Vista — the Balers won 48-46, while the Matadors lost 41-39.
Nevertheless, Monta Vista went 9-3 this season to earn the El Camino League title.
“They’re a good team, league champions, and who knows — they probably won’t be too happy playing away,” Carpenter said.
Leading the way for the Matadors is senior Krish Rangarajan, who led the El Camino League this season with 17.3 points, 11.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. His rebound line included 84 offensive boards.
“The guy is a pretty good player and he’s tough to guard because he’s an inside-outside kind of guy,” Carpenter said of Rangarajan. “He’s pretty versatile.”
Not at all a one-man team, however, Monta Vista is also led by Shan Hansra (1.2 3-pointers a gam) and Kevin Wu, who was second in the El Camino League with 1.5 assists per game, first in steals with 1.9 per game.
The winner of Tuesday’s matchup will advance to Thursday’s second round of play against No. 5 Carlmont (21-5).
Despite losing their final four games to close out the regular season, though, the Balers don’t necessarily feel as if they are backing into the playoffs. All four losses came against higher-seeded playoff teams, and all four games saw San Benito remain competitive throughout.
“Technically, we’re losing. But we are competitive in every game,” senior forward Kyle Vallejo said on Friday night, following the Balers’ two-point loss to Salinas.
“I think we’re pretty confident. Matching up well with a team (Salinas) that big, we’ll be ready for a team that big in the playoffs … It was a good confidence-booster.”
Meanwhile, after only playing at neutral sites the previous two years, the Lady Balers will host a CCS playoff game on Thursday after they garnered the No. 5 seed in the Division I bracket. Although which team they play — Salinas or Silver Creek — remains a mystery, head coach David Kaplansky is pleased his San Benito squad is able to quickly return to the court after last Thursday’s convincing 44-17 victory against Salinas.
“I do like the draw in the fact that we get a game on Thursday,” said Kaplansky, noting the two-games-a-week rhythm his team is currently playing through. “Hopefully, we can get a good win on Thursday and prepare for Santa Teresa on Friday.”
Santa Teresa (19-5) represents the No. 4 seed in the Division I bracket and is already slated to play in Saturday’s quarterfinal round. Awarded with two byes, the Saints are simply awaiting the team that shakes out from the first two rounds, whether it be San Benito, Silver Creek or Salinas.
And while the Lady Balers — third place in the TCAL at 9-3 — defeated Salinas twice this season by comfortable margins of 55-18 and 44-17, they have yet to play Silver Creek this year.
For what it’s worth, the Raiders, despite what their .500 record may suggest, upended Santa Teresa 59-49 on Jan. 19.
“Not only do they compete against upper-echelon teams, but they’ve beaten them, too,” Kaplansky said of Silver Creek.
With the Division I championship scheduled for March 6 at Santa Clara University, the Lady Balers will have to win four straight games in order to properly defend their title. Standing in their way is No. 1 North Salinas (21-3), No. 2 Gilroy (18-6) and No. 3 Evergreen Valley (17-7).
The title defense begins Thursday.
“I like the fact that we get a game on Thursday,” Kaplansky said. “I liked the way we played last game and I’d rather get out and play again then take a week off.”
